Knee High Socks and Over-Sized Sweaters

19.

To say Louis became a mess would be an understatement, he refused to leave Niall's bedroom, staying curled up at his best friends Fiancée's side each night. He sobbed for hours, until he lost his will to cry and instead just shook with empty cries of pain. Eventually Liam decided he had enough of the pain and called the general that ran his rank and asked to be deployed again, anything to get his mind off of his dead lover. Harry couldn't bear the pain of seeing Louis so broken, so he'd waited a few days before stopping by. But what he found was worse than crying. Louis was sat in front of the fireplace, watching all of his large hoodies and laced socks burn on the middle.
"Lou, what the fuck are you doing?" Harry cried as he slammed the apartment door behind him and ran over to Louis, wrapping his arms around the boy who was dressed in Niall's clothes.
"Lou isn't here right now, leave a message and try again never." The smaller boy grumbled back, staring into the fireplace as the Star Wars logo on one of his sweaters melted into the flames. Harry shook his head, sitting in the ground next to him. Then he noticed the lick of ink on Louis' bicep that read:

Niall James Horan: 1993-2016

It was surrounded by a giant heart, with a heartbeat that flattened out at the end. It was enough to bring tears to Harry's eyes as he gently ran a finger over it.
"He wanted to get matching tattoos when we were 18, and I was too much of a pussy to do it. I wish I would have now. Now that he's gone." Louis whispered, turning to hide his scrunched up face into his lovers neck. Harry's didn't respond, just wrapped an arm around his waist and held him close. They sat like that for hours, watching the flames die down, and little did Harry know, Louis' happiness died with the flames. His happiness was weak after he lost Niall but he threw the rest of it into the fire and watched it burn.
"I don't want to be the quiet one anymore. I don't want to sit by and be taken care of. I don't want to be vulnerable, Harry. I'm tired of being the fragile one. I'm done being the boy who puts his trust and love into everyone who is there to take it. I'm not Lou anymore. I want to be Louis." Louis sighed and Harry nodded.
"I know, and I'll be here to support you through all of this, love." He whispered, rubbing Louis' back. And they sat there for the rest of their night, watching the flames lick over every article of clothing until there was no more to burn and they laid on the floor to sleep.

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You guys, I have a vision for this book and I'm planning on following it, please do not stop reading or throw a fit because of how I am writing my book. Okay, rant over, much love! Another chapter will be out soon, and the ending is coming up very quickly.